Accidental Baking

I baked a lot of bread yesterday.  It was fun, and it smelled great.

But I lacked the foresight I needed to complete my fourth loaf of bread.  That is, I forgot I had given the extra pans I had on hand back to my mother.  Tsk Tsk.

Panic ensued when I punched down the big doughy balloons only to realize there was no where for the final loaf to take shape and bake. 

So, I made accidentally on purpose cinnamon rolls!  TADA!

I had one for breakfast today, the equivalent of two slices of toast.  What a great way to wake up.  Coffee in hand, healthy and delcious cinnamon roll in the other...I'll take that any day. 

I used my usual soaking method with this recipe - basically a way of releasing the nutrition locked up in the whole wheat and making it taste that much better.  While I'm not offering bread and rolls here at Bake Lore anymore, I still enjoy making them for my family.  Perhaps one day when I can get the profit margin a bit healthier, I might consider returnign it t the menue. 

Until then, I will just suggest that you do some research into Sue Gregg's cooking methods.  I use her bread recipe and it's the best I've ever tasted, bar none. 

Why yes!  That is another new cake pedestal.  How kind of you to notice;).

And yes, they are square...because I used my super awesome Fat Daddio square cupcake pan.  For some reason, I love square baked goods.

Do you have a tried and true cinnamon roll recipe in your house?  What do you do to make it healthier for your family?

Winner!

Congrats to Kim!!!

Our Linton, IN winner is now the proud owner of her very own Fat Daddio Hemi Muffin Pan!!

Happy Baking, Kim!  And make sure you tell everyone you know about Bake Lore!

Baba au Rhum humminahummina....

If you thought you had a favorite dessert, you need to abandon that preconception right here and now.  Until you've had a melt in your mouth Baba au Rhum, you just haven't lived.

Dare I flatter myself that I may be getting better with the camera???

Mmmmm...soak it in rum, and it can't be that bad, right?  Am I right?  I'm SO right.

This yeasty sweet cake is peppered with rum-soaked dates and covered in a vanilla rum syrup, topped with apricot glaze and finished with a loving dollop of fresh, real vanilla whipped cream. 

This is usually made in a shaped bundt pan, but I thought it was perfect for this Fat Daddio Hemi Muffin pan.  I was right...again:).  This pan lends itself exceptionally well to recipes that call for something to go bottoms-up after baking. 

Ok, yeah, there were orginally six. 
So SUE me...so goooooood...

 I think a pinapple upside down cake would bake up gorgeous in these little hemi cups! 

So, you've seen the pictures you've seen the results.  It's no secret I love this bakeware company - you could be the next proud owner of a Fat Daddio Hemi Muffin Pan.  Be sure to review the rules and good luck to you all!

Give Away Finale

I betcha never thought I'd get around to this, didja?

Well, let me just tell you, there's been a LOT going on over here in Bake Lore land.  I've been making mad progress on my business plan and most of my time lately has been devoted to market research rather than my usual kitchen mayhem.

So, I just want to post a little refresher for you...in case you forgot the rules of my give away.  I'll be blogging about my experience with the Fat Daddio hemi muffin pan very soon!  Watch for it!!

Giveaway Rule Review:

DA RULES:1. I will use my set of bake ware, and blog about my experience and the recipe I used.

2. You will obsessively compulsively check Bake Lore to see when I post about my experience and tell all your friends and relatives to do the same.

3. When I publish the post about each item, you have two ways to enter the give away:

• First, post a comment and say something nice. (Snide comments will render your entry void...*raspberries*.)
• Second, you can have an additional entry by sending me an email at bakelore@gmail.com and using the subject line: I LOVE Fat Daddio!! Also, say something nice. I'm 30 now, and I need compliments more than I used to.
• So, for each give away, you can enter a total of TWO ENTRIES - or more if you use another email address I suppose.
• USE YOUR FULL NAME so I can make sure the correct person gets the loot!! No name, no loot!!!!!!

4. After THREE DAYS - with the option to extend if I feel like it:) - during which you will continue to check the blog and like the facebook page (see #2)! - I will announce a winner, chosen at random.

5. THIS IS IMPORTANT: The winner is entitled to one piece of bakeware - and free delivery or pickup. The big point of this promo for me is to build up my LOCAL base, so - -This give away is limited to those who are within a one-hour driving distance from Linton.

This includes the Linton, Bloomfield, Jasonville, Dugger, Terre Haute, Bloomington, Sullivan, Washington, Vincennes and all points in and around beautiful rural Indiana - - this is your time to WIN!

I'm so sorry, but I just can't afford to ship to my fans in Latvia, though I love you dearly! (Es Tevi Milu! - - That's "I love you" in Latvian, for reals.)

Sooooo, if you are one of the lucky winners (which you will know instantly because, again, see #2), that will bring me to your door with your Fat Daddio Pan - or you can pick it up in person. And...by the way... If you decide you want me to throw in some bread or cookies, you totally have to pay for that:).

That's all for now! Keep checking BAKE LORE!

And if you have questions, email me at bakelore@gmail.com, subject line: Fat Daddio Giveaway.

We Have a Winner!

Congratulations to Christy Knapp of Linton, IN!

You are now the proud owner of a 10" square tube pan from Fat Daddio! 

Thanks to a really useful site, random.org, I was able to pull a number out of a virtual hat and Christy is the lucky one today!

Don't worry though!  In a week or so, you might be the lucky winner of that awesome hemi muffin pan!

You don't want to miss it, so stay tuned!

Give Away #1: 10" Square Tube Pan

My apologies for anyone left waiting while I bake. 

I had a small disaster that delayed this post by a day or two.  You see, my initial post was supposed to be about angel food cake.  But thankfully, the total disaster that ensued after my egg whites fell and turned my awesome cake into a goey, gross glob - well, that gave me an opportunity to test the dishwasher-worthiness of the pan as well.  (Just so you know, it did just great in the dishwasher.)

I don't blame the pan.  I blame Irene.  I'm sure the pressure systems that girl is spewing out are affecting Indiana.  I'm CERTAIN.  But Irene couldn't touch my amazing apple cake. 

Oh.  My.  Goodness.

First of all, this recipe is to die for.  It's one I found not long ago and altered a bit to make it my own.  I also used the apples that are literally falling off the tree in my back yard, so in addition to being delicious, this cake was also frugal.  Gotta love that! 

Here's the recipe, with my own attempts at photography in between...

6-8 apples (mine were super tart green ones)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
5 tablespoons sugar

2 3/4 cups flour, sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup melted butter
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup apple juice
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
1/4 brown sugar
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter, line with parchment and flour your tube pan. Peel, core and chop apples into chunks. Toss with cinnamon and sugar and set aside.

If you're thinking that's a lot of apples.  You're right.  Stay tuned for a series of
posts on apple pies, apple gumbo, apple dumplings, apple sauce and finally,
apples in the garbage disposal cuz we CANNOT eat any more apples!

Sift flour, baking powder and salt in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or large mixing bowl. In another bowl, combine butter, apple juice, sugar and vanilla. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix just until moistened, then add eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl to make sure it's all mixed up.  Do not overmix!

Sprinkle brown sugar in bottom of pan, half of the apples and half the walnuts if desired. 

Scoop and spread half the batter, add the rest of the apples and walnuts, cover with remaining batter - this might take a little maneuvering as the batter is on the thick side. 

Bake for about an hour and ten minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.

And when you turn it out of the pan...oooooo, look at all that carmelized goodness!

See what that brown sugar does?  Oh, heaven:).

And what a wonderful pan I had to bake it in!  Want one of your own????

Just remember DA RULES!  Post your name and say something nice - or send an email to bakelore@gmail.com, subject line "I love Fat Daddio!!!!" And please, if you don't mind, tell me where you are!!

Good Luck!

Announcing: Give Away Rules!

I just recieved a huge box from Fat Daddio, with my name on it.

Oh the baking-geek joy that fills my heart! 

Inside, I found two for me and two for you, as promised!  I will be doing two separate give aways since the items are very different. 

First and foremost - - here's the LOOT!

The 10" square tube pan in the picture below is the first item. 

Our premium angel food pans are built to last! Each pan is constructed of 14 gauge anodized aluminum and features an even wall thickness. The anodized aluminum allows the cakes to climb well and release effortlessly. There is not a finer tube pan!

Next up, we have another unique item for your bakeware collection, the Fat Daddio, something they call a Hemisphere Muffin/Multi pan.

Fat Daddios muffin pan series are built from 18 gauge anodized aluminum and feature a rigid rolled rim that creates a very durable pan. The anodized finish promotes even baking and easy release and cleanup. With 8 styles, we offer everything from the standard muffin pans to our best selling square muffin pan.

You must be dying to know how to get your oven mits on these bad boys.  Here's how it's gonna work:

DA RULES:
1.  I will use my set of bake ware, and blog about my experience and the recipe I used.

2.  You will obsessively compulsively check Bake Lore to see when I post about my experience and tell all your friends and relatives to do the same.

3.  When I publish the post about each item, you have two ways to enter the give away:

• First, post a comment and say something nice.  (Snide comments will render your entry void...*raspberries*.) 
• Second, you can have an additional entry by sending me an email at bakelore@gmail.com and using the subject line: I LOVE Fat Daddio!!  Also, say something nice.  I'm 30 now, and I need compliments more than I used to.
• So, for each give away, you can enter a total of TWO ENTRIES - or more if you use another email address I suppose.
• USE YOUR FULL NAME so I can make sure the correct person gets the loot!!  No name, no loot!!!!!!

4.  After THREE DAYS - with the option to extend if I feel like it:) - during which you will continue to check the blog and like the facebook page (see #2)! - I will announce a winner, chosen at random.

5.  THIS IS IMPORTANT:  The winner is entitled to one piece of bakeware - and free delivery or pickup.  The big point of this promo for me is to build up my LOCAL base, so  - -This give away is limited to those who are within a one-hour driving distance from Linton. 

This includes the Linton, Bloomfield, Jasonville, Dugger, Terre Haute, Bloomington, Sullivan, Washington, Vincennes and all points in and around beautiful rural Indiana - - this is your time to WIN!

I'm so sorry, but I just can't afford to ship to my fans in Latvia, though I love you dearly! (Es Tevi Milu! - - That's "I love you" in Latvian, for reals.) 

Sooooo, if you are one of the lucky winners (which you will know instantly because, again, see #2), that will bring me to your door with your Fat Daddio Pan - or you can pick it up in person.  And...by the way... If you decide you want me to throw in some bread or cookies, you totally have to pay for that:).

That's all for now!  Keep checking BAKE LORE!

And if you have questions, email me at bakelore@gmail.com, subject line: Fat Daddio Giveaway.

STAY TUNED!!!!

Fat Daddio - Give Away!

Hello Bake Lore fans!

Have I got some great news for you!  I just received an email yesterday from my wonderful contact at Fat Daddio - makers of the world's best bake ware - and a box is in the mail, coming to yours truly.  What's inside???

Well...one for me...and one for YOU!

That's right - this amazing company has agreed to work with me to do a give away promotion.  I will have not one, but TWO opportunities for readers to win some of the finest bake ware in the world. 

I will be baking in one, blogging about it and giving away the other.  I hope this will turn you on to Fat Daddio and get you on the path to using them exclusively in your kitchen as well.   

And, let's be honest - I want to get the word out about Bake Lore to more and more people.  If I can do that with a company like Fat Daddio - then all I can say is WOOHOO! 

Tell your friends!  I'll be finalizing the details of the give away soon!!

And you bet I'm grateful for this opportunity! 
Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

Fat Daddio, Oh, How I love Ya!

Imelda Marcos had something like 5,400 pairs of shoes when she died. 

The likes of modern shoe-queens, a la Carrie whats-her-name from Sex and the City (never watched that one much, because, among other reasons, Sarah Jessica Parker reminds me of a coyote...sorry, but I just couldn't get into her...) - they just don't come close.

Me?  When I die, someone is going to write a Wikipedia article about the number of Fat Daddio pans I have stored on my back porch.  Not that I want to be remembered as a cake pan hoarder, but I would rather spend money on a new cake pan than a new pair of shoes ANY day. 

Yes, my name is Amy, and I'm a huge nerd.  But you love me, right? 

Don't answer that. 

I would love to include bake ware for purchase in my much-dreamed-of bakery.  Up front, next to the place where you order your awesome baked goods and gorgeous cakes, you'll also be able to peruse a full line of Fat Daddio products. 

I just can't say enough good things about the quality and consistent results I get when I use my Fat Daddio pans.  They are simply wonderful, and I would highly recommend investing in a few even if all you are doing is baking the odd birthday cake or taking cupcakes to school for your kids.  Their stuff is affordable and durable. 

Love me some Fat Daddio.  I use their stuff pretty much exclusively when I bake. 

So if you are in the market for new bakeware - check them out!  You'll be glad you did!